Farm Fresh CSA Produce serving Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania

Week 18 Summer CSA 2017 Newsletter

(CSA members will receive 6-8 items from the following list)

APPLES

PEACHES

PLUMS

CARROTS

BEETS

LEEKS

PEPPERS SWEET

PEPPERS HOT

RADISHES

FRESH CUT HERBS

POTATOES

ONIONS

KALE

BEANS

BROCCOLI

Farmers fork

The recent weather catastrophes in the south remind us to think about the agricultural community at large. The vast expanse of vegetable, fruit, livestock, dairy, fisheries and hydroponic farms all came under stress. The food supply chain is being seriously challenged. In Houston we have thousands of grocery warehouses and stores, restaurants, food service centers for hospitals, school and retirement communities that need to be cleaned or closed and restocked – from fixtures to product. In the days following the Houston storm we saw local shortages of bottled water, disposable diapers, pet food and first aid supplies as these items were re-directed to the disaster area. Our local produce sections were ‘light’ as the distribution of product from the affected states was interrupted. The Florida situation will only exacerbate the coming shortages of fresh produce & product from those area directly affected by the storms. We see damage to the Florida citrus, tomato and greenhouse crops. Texas provides a significant amount of dairy, beef and rice. Georgia has large egg productions that have been interrupted along with their sweet potato & onion crops. Agriculture provides a large base of income and employment for the residents of three states. North & South Carolina are also adversely affected.

Recovery from ground water contamination and wind damage will take a bit of time. We certainly hope they have a speedy recovery – it will show up on everyone’s plate.

Our season this year was certainly wet and warm. Now that we are moving towards fall the leafy greens are bouncing back as the temperatures begin to cool. We are excited for the change and look forward to some good eating with apples, winter squash, lettuces & salads and sweet potatoes – wow.

We hope you enjoy your box this week – please check out our Facebook page for some additional recipes & ideas for radishes.

We are coming to a close for the summer season – we thank you for your subscription. Many thanks to the folks that have renewed for fall.

Best regards,

Farmer Pam

Click here to see the winner of the fall CSA contest and check out Farmer Pam on our Facebook page.

Recipes

Easy Garlic Kale

Ingredients

1 bunch kale

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon minced garlic

Directions

Soak kale leaves in a large bowl of water until dirt and sand begin to fall to the bottom, about 2 minutes. Lift kale from the bowl without drying the leaves and immediately remove and discard stems. Chop the kale leaves into 1-inch pieces.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat; cook and stir garlic until sizzling, about 1 minute. Add kale to the skillet and place a cover over the top.

2 Rub beets with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, place in pan, cover with foil: Place the beets in the pan. Rub olive oil over the beets, and sprinkle with salt. Cover the beets with another sheet of aluminum foil.

3 Roast for 1 to 2 hours: Roast for 1 to 2 hours, depending on the size of the beets and how old they are. After 1 hour, test every fifteen minutes by poking a beet with the tines of a fork.

Once the fork tines go in easily, the beets are tender and cooked. Remove from the oven.

4 Prepare balsamic glaze: While the beets are cooling, prepare the balsamic glaze. In a small, shallow sauté pan, add the balsamic vinegar and sugar. Heat on high until the vinegar has reduced to a syrup consistency. Remove from heat.

5 Peel and cut cooked beets: After the beets have cooled for several minutes, but are still warm to the touch, peel off the outer skins and discard. Cut the beets into quarters or more, bite-sized pieces.

6 Pour glaze over beets: Place beets in a serving bowl. Pour balsamic glaze over the beets. Stir in grated orange zest, and add salt and pepper to taste.

Calvert Farm Information

Winter and Spring CSA

Newsletter

Newsletter

Now offering duck eggs

Bulk Cut Flowers

We are working with our long time cut flower family Jesse and Anna Beiler to provide cut flowers by the bucket for your next special occasion (wedding, shower or party) Seasonal flowers include sunflowers, lisianthus, static, snapdragons, marigolds, salvia, millett grass, asters, queen anne’s lace, amaranthus, sweet annie, celosia, gomphrena, pumpkin on and stick and others. Email Pam at farmer@calvertfarm.com

Calvert Farms CSA Community

We would love you to share with the Calvert Farms CSA Community
Submit your fun pictures, favorite recipes or great ideas to calvertfarmnewsletter@gmail.com

Reminder

Please return folded up CSA boxes and we are always looking for egg cartons.